This invention relates to a dislodging tool for dislodging a mounted wheel from a drum of a vehicle.
After several thousand miles of travel on various types of roads and highways and under various weather conditions, wheels, and especially those mounted on large trucks, tend to become lodged on the studs and drums on which they are mounted. This lodging is caused by road oil, dirt, water, and other minute debris becoming deposited on and around the interfaces of the wheel and the studs and drum. Over a period of time this collection of materials creates an adhesive bond which is quite strong and results in great difficulty for removal of the wheel when, for example, a flat tire occurs and the wheel must be removed. It is reported that the generally-used approach by truck drivers and mechanics in breaking this bond is the use of a sledge hammer struck a multiple number of times against the wheel until the bond is broken. Such an approach, however, is both dangerous and possibly destructive.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,260,369 to Goddard, U.S. Pat. No. 1,534,350 to Bassett, U.S. Pat. No. 1,589,015 to Lee, U.S. Pat. No. 1,594,468 to Riberdy, U.S. Pat. No. 2,191,021 to Ladd, U.S. Pat. No. 2,296,119 to Ringrose, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,455 to Converse all disclose puller apparatus for removing various types of vehicle as well as non-vehicle wheels. However, each works on the principle of applying progressively increased pressure as with the end of a screw member progressively screwed against the central axle of a wheel as pre-positioned outwardly moving lever means engaging some part of the wheel act to pull said wheel outwardly. These types of apparatus are, first of all, rather cumbersome since they must be engaged with a central axle and with the wheel, thus requiring a large piece of apparatus should the wheel have a large diameter. Secondly, said types of apparatus may produce great magnitudes of concentrated pressure against the central axle before utility is achieved, thereby possibly causing damage to the axle member. With the invention disclosed herein, however, utility is achieved without involving the central axle of a vehicle and without the application of pressure on any part of the vehicle except the wheel itself.